Press Release - UK beef cattle dearer as retailers rush to make sure beef is the only meat ingredient in tens of millions of products

25th February 2013

Region: National

UK beef cattle dearer as retailers rush to make sure beef is the only meat ingredient in tens of millions of products.

The National Beef Association (NBA) is urging prime cattle and cow beef finishers to trade every animal that will be ready to sell over the next two weeks so they take maximum advantage of the ex-farm price lift that has been triggered by a beef buying spree launched at both retail and processor level.

“Prices for prime beef cattle and cows have strengthened as UK and EU retailers hurry not just to replace processed beef products that have been implicated in the horsemeat scandal - but also do their best to re-establish, or maintain, their credentials as purveyors of top quality product,” explained NBA national director, Chris Mallon.

“And this almost universal market move is being reinforced by processing companies which must replace, at their own cost, manufactured products that may have been tainted with horsemeat and who are in the market for additional quantities of high provenance beef replacement too.”

“As a result prime cattle across the UK were on average dearer by around 3p a deadweight kilo last week - and cows were about 5p-12p more expensive as well because large volumes of manufacturing beef were exported to Continental customers who were also anxious to substitute horsemeat with beef.”
“We expect this re-fill period to last until the first full week in March because tens of millions of retail packs thought to have been adulterated by horsemeat have been removed from retail shelves throughout the EU and everyone involved in their replacement is keen to make sure their contents are one hundred per cent correct.”

According to the NBA commercial R4L steers and heifers offered in England, Scotland and Wales will be selling for a base of 370p-372p a deadweight kilo this week compared with 365p-367p two weeks ago.

“This situation has developed because huge volumes horsemeat have degraded the UK and EU beef supply chains. Feeders should wring every advantage possible from the flurry of purchasing that surrounds the rush by retailers to cleanse their shelves and make sure that real beef is the only meat ingredient in every one of their beef products,” Mr Mallon added.